Curtain rod



oct. 18,1927. 1,646,049

J. H. BOYE CURTAIN ROD Filed May 19, 1926 .rigidly secured in and projecting from t Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,646,049 PATENT OFFICE'.

JAMES I'I BOYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IOy JAMES H. BOYE MANUFACTUR- ING COIVIPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION F ILLINOIS.

CURTAIN ROD.

This invention relates to improvements in curtain rods, having reference more particularly to what are commonly known as fiat o1' oval rods, which are made of a strip of sheet-metal having its upper and lower edges folded over on the rear side for stiffening purposes, and, in the case of extensiblev rods, made in two telescopinv' sections which mutually support each other.

In Letters Patent No. 1,309,060, granted to me July 8, 1919, I have disclosed a curtain rod of this type wherein the inner end of the inner telescoping member is equipped with a transversely elastic wire loop member he end of said inner member and engaging under compression within the outerk telescoping member; said elastic wire loop serving to prevent sagging of tlietwo sections of the curtain rod and maintaining their endwise alignment, and also preventing the rods from falling apart and stiifening the rod in a horizontal plane, preventing ity from bowing outwardly or inwardly relatively to the window casing, and also serving as a leader to facilitatek the threading of the inner rod section through the hem of theV curtain. v y

Extended practical experience with, the rod of the aforesaid patent has proved that, while it efficiently performs the above-stated functions, it develops some faults and defects unde-r certain circumstances, which it is the object of the present invention to overcome. For instance, if telescoped int-o Lthe outer rod section to a point where it encountered the elbow of the latter it would bend and get out of place, becoming either too loose or too tight; and if it was dropped on the floor it would be bent out of shape or driven into the rod and its utility impaired or destroyed.

My present invention in the nature of an improvement upon the stiiiening feature of my aforesaid patent, and, as above stated, has for its main object to provide a stiffenn ing member which shall be free from the faults abovenoted and will not change its shape or lose its functional capacity under such accidental conditions.

My invention, in two practical forms in which the same may be embodied, is illustrated in the accompanying Vdrawings wherein- Fig, 1 is an elevation of the inner adjacent Yrow slot between ends of two telescoping rod sections, shown separated, showing my improved spring stiflener mounted inthe end of the inner section, andthe latter ypartly in vertical section;

Fig. 2 isa view of the same parts telescoped, with a portion ofthe outer rod sec'- tion in vertical section; i

Fig. 3 is a topgplan view of Fig. 2, with the `outer rod in horizontal section; s

Fig. 4 is a'view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification wherein the spring 'stiifenei is housed wholly within the inner rod section; Y

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan of Fig. L1k with the outer rod in. horizontal section;

Fig.V 6 is a vertical cross-section on the F igfr is a verticalcross-section on the line 7-4-7 of'Fig.v VL1.

Referring first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs` 1,2, 3 and 6, 10, and 11` designate the outer and inner telescoping sections of the curtain rod or bar, the outer ends of which are, in practice, rdetachably supported A in Vand, by end brackets (not shown) secured `to, a window casing. These rod sections and 11 are substantially flat metal strips having their longitudinal marginal portions foldedinwardly on the i'ea-r side of the bar through approximately half the width of the latter thusL forming ka narthein, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. f L I Y 7Vliere telescoping sections of a curtain rod of the general form herein illustrated are drawn apart to within a few inches of the point of separation, there is a tendency of the sections to fall apart during handling of the rod in mounting the same, aswell as a noticeable sag at thecenterrwhen the rod is mounted,kunless some provision be made to insure ai'nple friction between the two sec tions and to automatically take/up slack or lost motion between them. As stat-ed, devices more or` less satisfactorily fulfilling these purposes have heretofore been proposed, but my present invention isthe result of an effort to vprovide a rod-stiffening and slack-eliminating device that will perform these'functions more eiiiciently and with less liability to accidental injury or destruction than heretofore. To these ends Ijform in the upper and lower edges of theinner rodsec tion, 11 openings 12, and at the rear end of each opening I bend inwardly a tongue 13 oi metal to form a stop for the inner end of the stitlening member. This latter comprises a generally U-shaped loop 14 of comparatively heavy spring wire. The two limbs of the loop are securely anchored in the end of the rod section by mashing the metal of the front and rear walls thereon down around and beneath said limbs, as clearly shown at 15 in Fig. 6. The arms ot the loop 14, at points registering with the openings 12 of the rod are bowed outwardly, as shown at 15, so as to normally extend through and beyond said openings when the rod sections are separated, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the extreme inner end portions of the arms of the loop are bent inwardly in a direction substantially tanfverse to the axis of the rod, as shown at 16, and abut squarely against the inwardly pressed tongues 13 of the rod.

lVhen the rod sections aretelescoped together, the rounded outer surfaces ot the bends 15 of the loop are forced inwardly by Contact with the upper and lower edges of the outer rod section, thus exerting a compressive and contracting action on the wire loop 14. It will thus be seen that the expansive action of the spring loop, and the opposed compressive action ot' the outer' rod section thereon occur at a point remote from Y the closed end ot the loop and at a point approximately coincident with the open end of the loop, so that substantially the maximum or full spring action of the loop is utilized. The portion ot' the loop that projects from the end of the rod is smaller and narrower than in my aforesaid Letters Patent, while the inner or toot portion is rested squarely against the abutment lugs or stops 16. rlhese features, together with the fact that the loop is made of milch heavier f stock than heretofore, render it substantially proot against deformation or breakage in case it strikes the floor or is jammed too tar into the outer rod section. At the same time, the projecting end or head ot' the loop facilitates the threading ol the rod through the hem of a curtain. The outwardly bowed portions 15 of the legs ot the loop projecting through the holes in the walls of the inner rod not only create ample "friction in the walls of the outer rod to prevent the rods from falling apartand to take up slack at one end of the telescoping parts, but they also serve, in rconjunction with ythe stop 16 to securely lock the loop in the rod against being either driven into or pulled out of the latter. A

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 7 embodies the same operative principle as that ot' Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6, but reverses the position of the spring loop memberrelatively to the rod carrying the same, locating it wholly wit-hin the rod. In this case since the loop member is wholly housed within the rod and as a consequence is not subject to accidental forces tending to drive it either inwardly or outwardly,n the abutment stops, such 16, may be `dispensed with, the loop member maintaining its position within the rod simply through engagement of the protuberances 15 oi: its limbs with the opposite ends ot the holes or slots 12. This form of the invention has all ol the described advantages ot the other lorm save only that it lacks the projecting portion of the loop to serve as a curtain leader. rllhis lack, however, may be supplied by convexing the end of the front wall oit' the inner rod, as shown at 17 in Fig. and giving to the upper' and lower edge walls a rearwardly oblique form, as shown at 18 in Fig. 5.

lWhile I have herein shown and described my invention as embodying a transversely elastic member having portions projecting through openings in the walls of the inner rod section and bearing under friction against the corresponding portions of the walls of the outer section, the broad principle ot the invention lies in the provision ot parts in or on the inner rod section adapted to expand against the inner wall ot the outer rod section into trietional holding engagement with the latter, and located inwardly ot the end of the inner rod section.

I claim* 1. In a tclescoping curtain rod, the conibination of an outer rod section, an inner rod section formed with diametrcally opposed openings in its walls, and a transversely elastic member mounted in said inner rod section having protubcrances projecting through said openings into trictional bearing engagement with the inner walls oi the outer rod section, the portions ot said protuberances nearest the telescoping end of said inner section being inclined to permit said outer sect-ion to cam the said projections inwardly when said inner sectien is entered into the meeting end ot said outer section.

2. na telescoping curtain rod, thecombination ot' an outer rod section, an inner rod section formed with diamctrically opposed openings in its walls, and a transversely elastic spring wire loop mounted in said inner rod section and having its vlimbs formed with outwardly bowed portions proj ecting through said openings into i'rictional searing engagementwith the inner walls ot the outer rod section.

3. In a telescoping curtain rcd, the combination of an outer oval rod section, an inner oval rod section formed with openings through its upper and lower edges, andra. lJ-shaped spring wire loop mounted in said inner rod section and having its limbs adjacent to their free ends formed with outwardly bowed portions projecting through seid openings into lrictionel bearing engagen'ient with the upper and lower edge walls of said outer rod Section.

et. ln :i teleseoping curtain rod7 the conibination or an outer oval rod section, an inner oval rod section formed with openings through its upper land lower edges and with inwardly extending stops in rear of seid openings, and a transversely elastic nieniber mounted in said inner rod section abutting at one end thereof against seid stops end formed with protuberanees proj ecting through said openings into frietional bearing engagement with the upper and lower edge walls of said outer rod section.

5. In e telescoping curtain rod, the conibination of en outer oval rod section, an inner ovel rod section formed with openings through its upper sind lower edges and with stops swaged inwardly from the rear ends of seid openings, and a transversely elastic U-eheped loop secured in said inner rod ection with its closed end projecting beyond the end thereof, the limbs of seid loop being formed with outwardly bowed-portions projecting through seid openings into rietionel bearing engagement with the upper and lower edge Walls of seid outer section, and the Yfreefends of said limbs abutting against said stops.

J AMES H. BOYE. 

